Beyond Optimism Why the Future of OER/OCW is Assured Cambridge 2012: Innovation and Impact - Openly Collaborating to Enhance Education Cambridge, U.K., April 18, 2012 Gary W. Matkin, Ph.D. Dean, Continuing Education, Distance Learning, and Summer Session University of California, Irvine
ocwc2012
Jun 25, 2015
Members of the OCW/OER movement are properly occupied with the current efforts of importance to the movement—increasing the supply and usage of OCW/OER, finding sustainable models, embedding OCW/OER into government and institutional contexts, and seeking ways of certifying knowledge gained through open content. As educators, we are motivated by the high-minded goal of improving access to education throughout the world through technology and free learning opportunities. However, between the focus on issues of immediate concern and the shining light of our overall goal, there is a middle ground that is not well understood by many OCW/OER proponents. That middle ground is composed of large-scale forces that are impacting education and together create an imperative for the OCW/OER movement—a movement that is so important to these trends that the vision we have for the future of OCW/OER is inevitable. This presentation describes these trends and the part that OCW/OER plays in them.
The first and most important trend is the movement toward universal higher education. First identified and described by Martin Trow in 1973, universal higher education is the third stage in the evolution of higher education, following the movement from elite to mass higher education. There are two components for universal higher education. The first is the traditional notion of access by providing access to higher education to people who otherwise could not take part because of geographical or financial issues. The second component is more subtle, but no less important or visible after, the breakdown of boundaries, sequences, and distinctions between learning and life. This presentation will describe how universal higher education is becoming clearly evident and offer some examples of how OCW/OER is a major component in the advancement of universal higher education.
The second trend is the “commoditization” of education. A good or service is “commoditized” when it becomes ubiquitously available at no or very low cost. There are clear patterns of behavior that occur when an important aspect of an industry becomes commoditized. These patterns are evident in the commoditization of content (Google, Wikipedia, YouTube) and communications (Facebook, Skype, Twitter), both of which are important elements of education. Education itself is showing signs of becoming commoditized. Commoditization pushes the “value proposition” to the periphery of the good or service. This presentation will describe that value add shift in higher education, what it means to the OCW/OER movement, and how we can take advantage of this trend.
Advocacy on behalf of the OCW/OER movement is an important role for the OCWC and its members. That advocacy can be most effective when all of us understand the social and economic dynamics that shape our movement. OCW/OER is here to stay in ever greater volume and utility because it is aligned with major social, economic, and edu
The first and most important trend is the movement toward universal higher education. First identified and described by Martin Trow in 1973, universal higher education is the third stage in the evolution of higher education, following the movement from elite to mass higher education. There are two components for universal higher education. The first is the traditional notion of access by providing access to higher education to people who otherwise could not take part because of geographical or financial issues. The second component is more subtle, but no less important or visible after, the breakdown of boundaries, sequences, and distinctions between learning and life. This presentation will describe how universal higher education is becoming clearly evident and offer some examples of how OCW/OER is a major component in the advancement of universal higher education.
The second trend is the “commoditization” of education. A good or service is “commoditized” when it becomes ubiquitously available at no or very low cost. There are clear patterns of behavior that occur when an important aspect of an industry becomes commoditized. These patterns are evident in the commoditization of content (Google, Wikipedia, YouTube) and communications (Facebook, Skype, Twitter), both of which are important elements of education. Education itself is showing signs of becoming commoditized. Commoditization pushes the “value proposition” to the periphery of the good or service. This presentation will describe that value add shift in higher education, what it means to the OCW/OER movement, and how we can take advantage of this trend.
Advocacy on behalf of the OCW/OER movement is an important role for the OCWC and its members. That advocacy can be most effective when all of us understand the social and economic dynamics that shape our movement. OCW/OER is here to stay in ever greater volume and utility because it is aligned with major social, economic, and edu
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Beyond OptimismWhy the Future of OER/OCW is
AssuredCambridge 2012: Innovation and Impact - Openly Collaborating to Enhance Education
Cambridge, U.K., April 18, 2012
Gary W. Matkin, Ph.D.Dean, Continuing Education, Distance Learning, and Summer Session
University of California, Irvine
Imagine a world in which
everyonecould learn
anything anywhereanytime
for
free
Think of the World’s Most Pressing Problems
HungerDisease
Global WarmingTerrorism
Religious StrifePopulation Growth
Environmental DegradationEconomic Development
Natural CatastrophesEnergy
Imagine a World Problem that Does Not Involve
Education
By 2025, 98 million graduates of secondary education WILL NOT be able to attend college
To serve these students, 4 large campuses, serving 30,000 students, would have to be built EVERY WEEK for the next 15 years
Forces that are Impacting Higher Education and Creating an Imperative for OER/OCW The trend toward universal access The “commodification” of education The increasing cost of education and
the demand for institutional accountability
UNIVERSAL ACCESS
Universal Access: Identified and Described by Martin Trow
First scholar to describe the transition in higher education from elite to mass to universal student access
Envisioned a world in which education was ubiquitous
Trow’s Characteristics of Universal Access Adaptation of the whole population to rapid social and
technological change Breakdown of boundaries and sequences and distinctions
between learning and life Postponement of entry, softening of boundaries between
formal education and other aspects of life Great diversity with no common standards Aggregates of people enrolled, some of whom are rarely or
never on campus; Questioning of special privileges and immunities of
academe; Criterion shifts from “standards” to “value adds;” Open emphasis on equality of group achievement
Universal Access: The 3rd Stage in the Evolution of Higher Education Learning can be broken down into
smaller chunks and in sequences that were not possible before
Learning can now take place in our day-to-day activities as never before
The Shift Toward “Value Adds”
Inability to Meet the Goal
of Univers
al Access
Diversity of
Providers with
No Commo
n Standar
ds
Creating a Shift Toward “Value Adds”
Value Adds and the Evaluation of Education
Evaluation will be based on the actual results of education in measureable skills, abilities, or useful knowledge
The failure to provide evidence of value adds will lead to the questioning of the special privileges and immunities of academe
OER/OCW is a Cause and Beneficiary of the Trend Toward Universal Access Recent interest in “badges”
Concerns about learning authentication, validation, and certification in the absence of common standards
COMMODIFICATION
Commodification is the 2nd Trend Impacting Education
Education becomes ubiquitously available at little or no cost
Commodification follows the two elements of that are essential to education—content and communication
Commoditization pushes the traditional “value proposition” of an industry to the periphery of the good or service
Communication/Interaction (Web 2.0)Skype Facebook Twitter
Content/InformationWikipedia Google iTunes YouTube
Learning PathwaysConnexions Flat World
KnowledgeKahn
AcademyMerlotOCWC
Commoditization Pushes the “Value Proposition” to the Periphery of the Good or Service.
How To Make Money While Others are Giving it Away
Higher Education is Threatened by New Competition
Traditional
Higher Educatio
n
COST CONTAINMENT & ACCOUNTABILITY
3rd Trend: Rising Costs and Demands for Accountability
The rising cost of U.S. higher education means that large numbers of our workforce can’t get the education they need, when they need it
This has become a world issue
Demands for Accountability & Continuous Improvement
H.B. No. 2504: Section 51.974. “Each institution of higher education, other than a medical and dental unit, shall make available to the public on the institution’s Internet website the following information for each undergraduate classroom course offered for credit by the institution.”
Our Roles in Transition
1. From visionary to predictor/implementer
2. From periphery to core
3. From optimist to leader
Gary W. Matkin, Ph.D.Dean
University of California, IrvineEmail: [email protected]
Telephone: 949.824.8825On the Web: http://ocw.uci.edu/
Download this Presentation at: http://www.slideshare.net/garymatkin/ocwcglobal201
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